Smart and Sexy

Smart and Sexy
By Jill Shalvis
Brava/Kensington, 2007. 269 pages. Fiction, Romantic suspense.

Noah Fisher is a handsome and successful pilot who owns a private airplane company with his two best friends. Bailey Sinclair is a recently widowed and attractive woman, who happens to be Noah's secret crush for the past several years. Bailey is desperate to find the money hidden by her conniving late husband and concocts a crazy plan to force Noah to help her. Jetting off to the possible hideouts, the two find dangerous men chasing them, adventure and love.

This is #1 in the Sky High Air trilogy and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. They are fast paced and very amusing. Despite being what I like to refer to as ‘escape fiction’ (where you just get lost for a few hours in a cute, fun, interesting story), these books have relatable characters and the story isn’t too far fetched. The love story is heartwarming and the suspense is just enough to keep the pages turning but not actually be scary. Typical of Jill Shalvis contemporary romance books- this is not a clean read- there steamy scenes and language throughout. I would categorize this trilogy as good beach/pool reads, keeping you entertained and yet requiring very little brain power.

Beyond All Dreams

Beyond All Dreams
By Elizabeth Camden
Bethany House 2015, 362 pages. Fiction.

Set in 1897 Washington, D.C., this is a Christian historical romance mystery novel about two unlikely people discovering their true selves, finding love and uncovering political secrets. Anna O'Brien, a librarian at the Library of Congress is assigned to assist the handsome and charming young congressman Luke Callahan with political research. As they work together more political secrets are uncovered and some seem to link to her father’s shipwreck from 15 years previous. As the secrets are uncovered their relationship is strained as personalities clash and public work life meet.

As a mystery book alone this story would fall very flat, but for a historical/romance/ fiction book it was quite lovely. It was a really fast read and fairly predictable, but also so heartwarming. I could relate to the characters and I really liked the way the various relationships played out. Strong Christian values were interspersed, but not overwhelming. This book made me want to read other Elizabeth Camden novels. If you like the TV show Scandal then you'd like this clean, historical version of DC political and PR drama and romance.

Far From the Madding Crowd

Far From the Madding Crowd
By Hardy, Thomas
Oxford University Press, 2002. 433 pages. Fiction.

Bathsheba Everdene is a spirited, beautiful, independent woman who loves the attention from her three suitors, but needs to grow up and realize the consequences of an inconstant heart. Gabriel Oak, a shepherd, competes for her love against the debonair soldier Sergeant Troy and the respectable, middle aged farmer, Mr. Boldwood. Set in the rural countryside of 1870s Wessex, England,  Thomas Hardy tells the heartwarming coming of age story with rich descriptions of the beautiful countryside lifestyle, as well as modern sensibilities about relationships and social customs.

I had already seen and loved the BBC movie, and rarely does the book impress if I have not read it beforehand, but this is an exception! I really enjoyed Hardy’s lush descriptions of the landscape and the detailed perspectives, especially about the various suitors in this novel. It is fairly long but keeps a good pace as you meander through the countryside and the story line.  If you like 19th century England, strong independent female protagonists, love stories, or any sort of BBC classic then you will enjoy this title!

Eat, Pray, Love

Eat, pray, love one woman's search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia
By Elizabeth Gilbert
Penguin Books, 2006. 334 pages. Biography, Nonfiction.

Eat, pray, love is an engrossing biography about finding oneself after tragedy and change. In rather rash turn of events, Elizabeth Gilbert finds herself newly divorced, heartbroken from a passionate love affair and in real need of some soul searching. She begins her journey in Italy where she has taken a vow of celibacy, focusing instead on learning Italian and eating- eating lots and lots of pizza. After gorging herself in the rich Italian culture, Liz makes her way to India where she spends time focusing on her spiritual self. There she practices meditation, yoga and sheds her newly acquired pizza weight, as she muddles through her emotional issues. Next she is off to Indonesia where she unexpectedly meets a man and slowly falls in love again. With each new place she meets people that help her learn and grow to arrive at a more confident, happy and self-aware state of becoming.

As I read this book I couldn’t put it down. Learning about the various countries made me have serious wander-lust and crave that kind of cultural immersion. I have been a yoga fan for years, so the idea of in-depth yoga retreat sounds hard and exciting. I am a sucker for a love story, especially when the woman is not expecting a relationship to appear.  However, since finishing the book the whole thing seems rather self-indulgent and fantastical. Most people cannot drop their entire life, no matter how hard it becomes, to go on this kind of exceptional adventure. It is an entertaining read, but I would caution readers to avoid equating themselves to the author, or aspiring to have similar experiences.